Son of the Desert
by Ashrandi the skull kid
Summary: Link grew up as the son of a gerudo, isolated far from his father's home. So he's in for quite a surprise when he goes to Hyrule. Evil is runing amok, and he's thrust into the heart of it. Link & made up character. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1: It Begins

_Disclaimer: I do not own Zelda. Nintendo does._

**A/N: This is my first fanfic with Link in it. If you have any suggestions, please review because I'm not a telepath and won't know that you don't like it unless you tell me.**

Night, just before dawn, the desert was silent as a shadow. Under the navy blue sky, stone structures were barely visible. Anyone seeing them would've thought them boulders, but they weren't. An entire city made of granite stood amongst the dunes, so lonely in the endless expanse of sand.

Link sighed. That lonely city, Katigura, was his home, and it bustled with so much life during the day, but astride his camel atop a dune one mile away, it looked so small and lifeless.

But with the sunrise, and the awakening of so many people, there would come the taunts of his gerudo sisters. So Link was perfectly fine sitting outside Katigura for the first few hours of dawn.

Then the sun peaked out from behind the eastern dunes.

"The orb that reveals truth. The beacon that promises scalding warmth and torture by my sister's hand," Link sighed. "Better get back to town. No point in giving Gerina something else to tease me about."

He nudged his camel in the side. "Come on, Dezra. Time to go to work."

Spurring Dezra towards the city, Link hardened his thoughts to prepare himself for the day's work. Right outside the iron gates, the hylian jumped onto the hard packed sand to raise the blockade. He pushed the towering doors open just enough to get Dezra through, then closed it immediately after she cleared the gate.

But he wasn't fast enough.

"Well, lookie here. The white-skin returns. Had fun outside our fair city, I hope?" a powerful voice rang from off to Link's left.

The boy flinched, then turned to see the lady who had joined him. She couldn't have been more than an inch taller than Link, and had the physique of a professional duelist, just as the hylian did. Besides that, the two were nothing alike. The lady's skin was a deep tan, and her hair was clearly red even in the early morning light. What clothing she had was tight fitting and made of garish purple cloth. Link preferred his baggy, brown tunic and headscarf, mostly because they covered much of his pale skin and dirty blonde hair. It was hard to believe that they were siblings.

"Hello, Gerina," Link spat. "You're up early yourself. What gives?"

Gerina smiled, showing her flawless, white teeth. "Just checking up on my dear brother." She strode up to Link in three steps, which was astonishing considering the distance between them. Looming over the hylian, she grabbed a handful of his tunic, yanking him closer, and continued, "Nothing happened to you, right? We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

'_Not by anyone else' is what you mean,_ Link thought.

Out loud, he said, "Of course not. I'm in great shape, and there's no one outside the gates but what foxes are up before dawn."

The gerudo lady smiled even wider. "Good, 'cause you've a lot to do today." She thrust him away, causing him to fall on his tail end. "So get to it, brother."

Link didn't reply but got up and took Dezra's reins in one hand. His sister didn't say anything else, but he heard her laughing softly as he led his camel to the stables.

"I wonder if Heron's got the same duties as me today," Link whispered as he unsaddled Dezra.

The camel grunted as if in reply.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he continued. "Highly unlikely. Though I doubt there's any luck involved in what jobs I get. Gerina probably gets the taskmaster to assign me the most disgusting jobs with the people I hate."

Link sighed. "Maybe I'll leave for Hyrule someday. Most boys my age already have."

The hylian slumped against the inside of Dezra's stall and stayed there until the sun woke the city.

Every morning, the gerudo youths would assemble outside the taskmaster's house to get their daily assignments. The taskmaster, who was really just the city's banker, was the bossiest gerudo of the lot. No one even tried to disagree with her, and Link was no exception. He didn't say as much as "not again" when she gave him cleaning duty, for the third time in a row.

_At least Heron got the same assignment,_ Link thought hopefully. _Against all odds, I actually get to work with her. That makes it bearable._


	2. Chapter 2: To catch a thief

"Isn't it lucky that Tiea put us on the same duty?" the gerudo girl smiled at Link.

"Yeah, though it wouldn't be so if we'd gotten a better job," the hylian replied. He had to look down because he had to stand on a stool. The yellow beasts looked into the youths' work area from their own stalls and grunted periodically.

They didn't clean the stalls with water; it was too precious a commodity. Instead, the duo scrubbed the dirt and waste off with brushes and shovels. It was tedious work and only partially effective, but it needed to be done. The only up side to that chore was that it was routine and allowed Link a lot of time to talk with Heron.

"You should really go riding with me more often, Link," Heron said. "It'd be better than going off every morning when no one's around. It's safer."

He sighed. _Not this again,_ he thought.

"You know why I don't do that," he said aloud.

Heron laughed, "If you'd just try to do more with the other kids, they wouldn't tease you so much. Just grin and bear it, Link." Her smile grew even wider, and the hylian couldn't help but smile back.

"That never works," Link replied. "Your friends usually ditch me at the first opportunity. Last time, I got caught in a sandstorm and was lost for two days." The hylian shuddered at the memory.

Heron shrugged and tilted her head, shifting her short, red hair. "That was an accident. And Wnek said she was sorry."

"She didn't mean it, though. Only you'd try to see past her sarcasm."

"What'd you say?" Heron looked confused. Link suddenly realized he'd muttered the last half, which was somewhat of a relief. The hylian didn't want to put off his only friend, never mind that it seemed impossible to do.

"I said that she was being sarcastic. Can't we talk about something else?"

Heron laughed. Not mocking laughter, but the kind that made Link want to join in. "About what? I don't really care."

Link opened his mouth to respond, but the gerudo cut him off almost immediately. "How about one of your stories? I'd love to hear about the Iron Fortress again. The only critics are the camels."

"Yeah," Link said. "Now where did I leave off…?"

"_STOP HIM!_" someone shouted from outside the stables.

The hylian nearly choked on his words. There were so few men in Katigura that Link thought for a moment that someone was talking about him. But no one was that much against his storytelling. And no one besides Heron could've known.

Link jumped down from his stool as Heron raced to the stable doors. The voice had come from west of the stables, a little down the unpaved road. Pueblo-style houses lined the street, and from them, several gerudo sere looking out from the doors. Running down the road toward them was a short figure in brown clothing. He- for the lanky gerudo running on his heels kept repeating her call for help- was hunched over as he surged forward, as if holding something of immense importance.

Everyone was stunned. Outsiders were rare in the desert, and thievery was an almost alien concept. It was obvious that the boy had stolen something, as the desert races hardly ever got worked up about anything else. Seeing an outsider stealing was surreal to most people in the city.

Most people, but not all.

Link sprinted towards the boy. He didn't even look up and the hylian tackled him. The thief, who was much smaller than Link, fell backwards and rolled heels-over-head three times before hitting the side of a house. Link stumbled and fell on his chest. The force of his charge had knocked him off balance. As quickly as he could, Link scrambled to stand up.

But he stopped halfway there. On his hands and knees, the hylian saw several gerudo looming over him. The lady who'd been chasing the thief held the boy's slim wrists in one hand, but she too was looking at Link.

_Did I… do something wrong?_ He thought. Terror crept into his chest. His position, so precarious already, could change to outcast at the slightest infraction of the gerudo tribe's customs. As much as Link disliked life in Katigura, he hated the prospect of never being able to return.

"Heh, heh, nice way to embarrass yourself, brother," Gerina laughed softly. Link whipped his head around to look at her. He thought she'd been on the other side of the city. For some reason, she always showed up when it was least convenient for the hylian. "Wait," she continued, "I meant to say nice way to catch a thief."

The other gerudo laughed. Not at Gerina's slip, but at Link. The hylian looked down. If he acted ashamed, they'd leave quickly.

The ladies lost interest after only a few seconds, but to Link, it seemed an eternity. When the last gerudo went back to her work, Link pushed himself to his knees. The thief was being escorted by five ladies, he saw. They were going to the jail. Link stayed like that, on his knees, until Heron came running up to him.

"Link," she chirped in her light voice, "great job. That was one thing I didn't expect to see today." She stopped and kneeled next to the hylian. "Is something wrong? You don't look so good. Is the heat finally getting to you?"

Heron moved to put her hand to his forehead, but Link brushed it aside.

"No," he replied. The hylian stumbled to his feet. Heron followed his lead and rose, as well. "Nothing's wrong." He paused for a moment, Heron watching anxiously. "We need to get back to work," Link said matter-of-factly.

With that, he turned on his heel and walked back to the stables.

Despite Heron's best efforts, Link wouldn't speak for the rest of their work shift. He couldn't say anything, because it took all his effort to keep from crying.

**A/N: Yes, this Link is a storyteller. I thought that Link should have more to his life than just sword fighting and mashing monsters, don't you think?**


	3. Chapter 3: Just talking

The thief was thrown in Katigura's jail. If you could call it a jail. The squat building was divided into two rooms by a row of iron bars. A pair of ramshackle bunk beds was placed behind the bars, but beyond that, it was devoid of furnishings. The gerudo thrust the thief through the interior door, then pushed a bucket of water through before locking him in.

The thief brushed the sand off his clothes and looked around at his new accommodations.

"What? No pillow?" he smirked.

The lady harrumphed and tromped out the door. When she was gone, he stuck his tongue out at the door she'd exited by.

"Well, at least they put in a bed," he sighed after his moment of petty childishness. The thief plopped on the lower bed and immediately regretted it. The pad was no softer than the stone floor and infinitely dustier. The cloud of particles that sprung from where he had sat nearly covered the entire room.

"Ack!" the thief coughed as he sprinted to the barred window. He pressed his face against the bars in an effort to escape the hazy cloud of years old dust.

"Oi," he sighed when he was finally able to get a breath of fresh air. "This is gonna be one long day."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Link was still cleaning the stables long after his work shift ended. He wasn't in any hurry to face his sister or any of the other youths after the morning's incident. Even when he did finally finish working, the hylian didn't go directly home. Instead, he decided that trailing a lone desert mouse through the city would be a great way to practice his stealth. The sun had set at least an hour prior, so no hardly everyone was inside. The only ones on the street were the hylian and the skittish mouse.

_Damn,_ Link thought as he padded after the mouse without making a sound. _Why'd I have to go and trip like that this morning? Gerina makes everything I do seem like a big joke. I have to be careful. If I do something bad, no matter how minor, I'll be thrown out of the tribe for sure._

Link took another step, and the mouse looked up at him. Deep in his thoughts, he hadn't been paying attention to how close he was getting to his quarry. If he crouched, the hylian could've easily petted the mouse. But it saw Link, so it fled. It bounced across the sand and into a hole in one of the granite walls.

Link sighed. "So much for that." He kicked the ground and started making his way home.

The path he chose took him right by the jail.

In the half-light of the moon, Link saw the squat building. No light shone from inside, but that was expected. Why waste precious fuel on criminals? That wasn't what caught the hylian's attention, though. It wasn't silent. With sharp hearing honed by years of detecting would-be-tricksters, he heard a faint scratch-scratch and jingle of metal on metal. It couldn't have been the wind, so Link went to investigate.

The windows in the jail were about chest level, so he had no trouble looking in. it was near pitch black in there. What little light filtered through the windows cast dark shadows across the entire room. A dark blotch near the bars was the source of the odd sounds, though it was impossible to tell just what it was by looking.

But Link could guess that it was the thief.

"What're you doing this late?" he asked, more to get the thief's attention than out of curiosity.

The dark blob jumped back, closer to the light. It was definitely human-shaped.

"Who's there?" a shaky voice came from the thief. He paused for a moment, then continued. "Oh, yeah. Must be the guy who rammed me this morning. You could've been a bit gentler, you know."

"I didn't really have much time to plan it," Link replied. He leaned against the outside wall of the jail. "How'd you know it was me?"

The dark blob seemed to stand up. "How many guys live here? It isn't too hard of a deduction once you know that."

Link sighed. The thief was right. He was the only male in Katigura, besides all the old traders who were just passing through.

"Why'd you decide to steal?" the hylian asked, anxious to get away from the subject of himself. "If you know anything about this city, you'd certainly know how we treat thieves."

The dark blob sauntered over to the window. Link could see him more clearly then. The thief was a head shorter than him and much slimmer. Like Link, he had pale skin and long ears. What he noticed most, though, was that the thief had a childish face. He couldn't have been over 12!

When the thief spoke, it was with the voice of a seasoned soldier. "I needed it bad enough. Besides," he shrugged, "I've been in worse jams."

Link couldn't imagine how it could be worse, but the thief seemed to know what he was saying.

"Anyway," the thief continued. He stuck his hand out through the bars, and Link took a step back. "I'm Dren. What's your name?"

The hylian didn't know how to respond. Hardly anyone had ever shown him that kind of respect. Not even Heron had asked Link his name; she'd just always known it. So he just stared blankly at Dren's hand, then back at his face.

"What? You never shook hands before?" Dren asked. Link recognized his mocking tone and immediately grasped the thief's hand and gave one firm shake.

"Link," he said. "My name is Link."

"Nice meetin' ya, Link." Dren smiled. "Say, I thought all gerudo were females. You aren't with any of the traders here. That I know."

Link had hoped to avoid just that topic. "I don't really want to explain that."

Dren laughed. "All the tact of a snail. Tell me."

"I… well… it's a long story."

"Not like I'm goin' anywhere."

Link pondered just walking away right then, but it was just too rude. "My mother's gerudo," he said in a rush.

Dren gave him a confused look. "Your other's jemmudo."

Link shook his head. "No," he said slower, "my mother is a gerudo. I'm hylian because only females born to gerudo are gerudos."

"Oh," the thief nodded knowingly. "Then lots of hylians could actually be gerudos."

Again, Link shook his head. "Well… uh, no. From what the older women say, gerudo-born hylians are quite rare. I've… never met anyone like me in that aspect."

"Huh," Dren snorted. "Can't imagine what it'd be like? No other guys."

Link shrugged. "It's not so bad." _Except for my reputation-destroying sister,_ he thought to himself.

Something must've shown on his face because Dren promptly laughed. "Not from what I saw this morning. Bottom of the pecking order's more like it."

Link scowled. _Right on the rupee._ "Kind of. It doesn't matter." The hylian paused to see if Dren had another smart remark. He didn't. "Well, I'd better get home. Gerina's probably wondering why I haven't made dinner yet." Link pushed off the stone wall and started off.

"Little late for dinner, isn't it?" Dren said before he'd gotten ten feet. Link stopped and turned back to see the thief leaning his head against the bars.

"A little," the hylian admitted.

"Well, then it's a good thing a missed meal ain't too hard to live with."

Something in the thief's tone made Link think that he wasn't making small talk anymore. It made him turn back and walk up to the window again.

"What are you getting at?" Link asked, trying unsuccessfully to sound stern.

Dren stretched his arms casually. "Oh, nothing much. Not like you'd care about it anyway."

"Humor me."

The thief chuckled, then sighed. "I came to the desert to find someone… a fairy healer. You see, my brother's really sick…" his voice faded out then.

Link felt pity for the thief. He'd never had a brother, but Dren seemed to care a lot about his brother. His voice had given that much away.

"I'm sorry," Link said. "Do you know where this healer is?"

Dren shook his head. "If you're thinking of helping, forget it. You'd never find my village after getting the healer, and I'm bound by oath not to tell anyone."

"Is there anything else I could do? Alert a friend or something?"

"Well," the thief scratched his chin, "you could let me out."


	4. Chapter 4: Accomplice

Link reeled at the very thought. Letting a criminal out of jail would immediately, and most likely permanently, mark him as a criminal. _Impossible,_ he thought. _If I get caught…_

"Then don't get caught," Dren said.

Link jumped. He hadn't realized that he'd spoken aloud. "Wha... what?" he stammered.

"Don't get caught," the thief repeated, this time with a hint of annoyance. "Look, no one's guarding me. If no one's outside, you just come and open the door for me. The key's inside."

Link froze. He just couldn't leave Dren to rot in the jail, but helping him would go against the tribe's laws. He was paralyzed with indecision.

But Dren had a point. The only thing stopping him was the thought of having the tribe turn against him. If no one knew, well, no one could blame him.

Link looked around, trying to look inconspicuous. The streets were empty and nearby buildings were dark. He rushed to the door and opened it quickly. A loud squeak issued from the hinges. Link flinched and glanced about. The street was still empty. He sighed, very relieved that no one had heard.

Leaving the door open, the hylian shuffled in. In the darkness of the jail, he couldn't see much. And he certainly didn't know where to look for the keys.

Dren helped him there. "The keys are beside the door… to your right, I believe," he whispered, understanding Link's need for silence.

Link nodded. He felt along the wall until he felt a hook. Dangling from it was a hoop, and on the hoop were five metal keys. Link grabbed it and blindly stumbled to the bars.

He tried three of the keys before finally coming up with the one that opened the jail door. As soon as the lock was off, Dren pushed the door open and slipped out.

"Thanks a load, Link," he whispered as he dashed out of the jail. The hylian followed, pausing only to close and lock the door and hang the keys back on the hook as quietly as possible.

Outside, Dren was already halfway down the street. It was one of the ones the hylian had been planning on taking on his way home. Link decided it would be a good idea to distance himself from the thief. He turned the other way. A little detour wouldn't hurt.

If it weren't for the gerudo standing in his way.

Link could almost feel his heart fall into his stomach. _There goes any chance of getting away,_ he thought.

Before the hylian could speak, she laughed loudly. "I had a feeling you'd do something stupid, brother. I just didn't know how stupid. Just talking with him was bad enough."

_Gerina!_ Link could hardly believe it._ She… she followed me!_ He cringed. _Damn. Not good. She'll make it seem like I murdered someone!_

Gerina started towards him. Link couldn't move. He didn't know what to do. Somehow, it all felt surreal.

"Run, you idiot!" Dren yelled from way behind him. "RUN!"

That snapped Link back to reality. He turned on his heel and did exactly as the thief told him to. He ran like he'd never run before. The buildings went by him in a flash. Link didn't even know where he was going. He knew Gerina was running after him; she kept yelling at him, though Link didn't bother to listen to her words.

Suddenly, he was in front of the stables.

"Dezra," the hylian panted. "Must get Dezra. Must get away. As fast as possible."

Link stumbled to his camel's stall. He hadn't realized how tired he had become. Clumsily, Link opened her stall and got on her unsaddled back. It felt odd, like sitting on the down slope of a steep hill, but Link was just glad to be riding her. She was the fastest camel in all of Katigura.

Grabbing the reins, Link whistled, and Dezra responded by standing up. As soon as she did, the hylian spurred her to move. The camel strode across the stables with a long, loping gait. They were on the street and galloping towards the gate within seconds.


	5. Chapter 5: Ride to the plateau

The desert passed by in a flash. Link didn't even care where he was going, only that it was away from Gerina. Dezra kept running forward until she couldn't run anymore and stopped. The hylian looked back to see if anyone was following.

Nothing. Nothing but moon-lit sand all around him. The dunes were only slight inclines against the horizon, but that was it. Only then, in the lonely desert, did Link's mind catch up with him.

"What… just… happened?" he gasped. "I… let a thief… out… and ran." The hylian turned his gaze to the stars above him and screamed, "**_Ocodar tamdea! Itazu! Am I really that gullible?_**"

Link let his head fall back down and cradled it in his hands. Even he couldn't fathom how sad, and how angry, he felt. He had given up his home and his life for a person he didn't even know, although he didn't know just what he was doing at the time.

The hylian felt tears welling up, and he didn't try to hold them back. His hands promptly became wet, though since Link's mind was so scattered, he wasn't sure how long he'd stood there. For all he knew, it could've been hours. He couldn't think straight anymore, and his consciousness faded.

When the sun rose mere hours later, it found Link asleep on the sand. Dezra remained beside him, watching the horizon for the lean shapes of saber cats, unwilling to leave her master despite the danger she smelled.

As soon as the light touched his skin, Link began to stir. He was still dog-tired, but the bright rays of the sun demanded that the hylian start his day.

"Ugh," Link groaned. He knew he wasn't going to get back to sleep. Slowly, he stood up, which wasn't easy because his entire body was stiff, most notably his legs.

Link looked around at his surroundings. Sand in all directions. That made him grimace.

_It wasn't just a dream, then,_ he thought. _I really did run away._ The tears began to well up again. _I really am an outcast now._

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "No," Link whispered. "No! I won't stand around moping." For some reason, he turned his gaze to Dezra at that moment. She instinctively went to her knees, as she did every time Link mounted her so that the hylian could actually reach her tall, humped back. Link patted her head; she was really a good camel. But seeing her alerted him to a problem.

In his haste to leave Katigura, he hadn't had time to get any supplies. No food, no water, and they were in a desert. Link had no doubt Dezra could survive, but he was more fragile than a camel and needed much more food and water in a shorter amount of time. Realizing that, Link felt his stomach groan.

_Uh, yeah. That's right. The last time I ate was yesterday at lunch,_ he recalled. _If I'd known this would happen, I would've eaten more. A few slices of bread make a poor lunch anyway._

Link laughed slightly at the thought. There was no way he could've predicted this.

_Well,_ he thought as he looked around again, _I can't go back, and there should be another town to the… west of Katigura. Better get going._

Link hoisted himself onto Dezra's back and spurred her to gallop away from the rising sun.

Hours passed, and the dunes slowly gave way to stone. At first, it was just a few boulders, sprinkled among the sand. But, with no great suddenness, the rocks appeared more frequently and closer together until they finally merged into a sheer cliff.

The Staltoria Plateau. Link knew that the city he was thinking about was somewhere on the other side of it. If he could trust his history lessons, the gorons carved a single canyon through the rock years ago to shorten travel time between Hyrule and the deep desert cities. The plateau was so broad that it took three days to go around it.

As luck would have it, Link approached within sight of the canyon entrance and made a beeline for it. The cliff towered al least 50 feet above the hard packed ground, casting a dark shadow across the canyon floor. Dezra hesitated slightly at the entrance before Link nudged her forward and into the gloom.

The abrupt stop in sunlight unnerved the hylian. He was used to the constant rays beating down on his back, so the sudden cold made him shiver on two levels. But he shrugged the feeling off. The sun probably only shone into the canyon at midday, which had passed a little over an hour ago

Both camel and rider continued on through the winding canyon towards what Link hoped was salvation.

**A/N: No, Link is not speaking gibberish. He is fluent in a fictional language that I've named Sand-Tongue. Here are some translations:**

**Ocodar tamdea … I'm a fool/idiot**

**Itazu … (I'm not translating this word because it is a swear word and probably doesn't have any real-life equivalents anyway.)**

**Just for future reference, I'll be posting all translations of Sand-Tongue words at the bottom of each chapter. I hope you enjoy reading this fanfic.**


	6. Chapter 6: Monster in the Canyon

Link had no idea where the beast had come from, only that it blocked his path. It was a monster, a horrible creature of enormous size. Its torso was that of a male human, but that's where the similarity ended. A thick, reptilian tail sprouted from where its legs should've been, and its head resembled something between a cat and a dog. It had six arms, but only one pair was remotely human. The other two were saber cat paws and the pincers of an animal Link had heard of called a crab. Dezra shifted uneasily under the hylian, and he could tell she was on the verge of running.

If he thought that the camel could outrun the beast, Link would've let her turn and bolt the second he caught sight of the beast. But something about it told Link that he'd never get away. He just held his position, hoping that the creature would back down. The flicker of intelligence in its eyes made him doubt that, though.

For almost a minute, they stared at each other, neither willing to make the first move. The only sound was the gentle swish of their breathing. And then the beast spoke.

"Ocodar vran. Vashi ku zebe riictu. Vocaten bori ra sufraden ku vutabem. Vocat mir be gamam."

Sand-tongue, the old language that most desert-going people learned before the more common language, Hylian. Link knew this tongue, though he hardly ever used it. What struck him wasn't the language, though, or ever that the beast could speak. It was what it said. It wanted to kill him.

Link tried to get Dezra to turn around and run, but the creature slithered forward impossibly fast and had grabbed the front of his tunic in one pincer. With almost bored casualness, it flung him from his camel's back and into the canyon wall as a trader would some rotten fruit. So quickly did it do this that Link was hardly aware anything was happening until he felt the impact of the wall against his back. The hylian felt the air leave his lungs, but he couldn't seem to draw another breath. The air rushed by him as he fell to the floor ten yards below.

Almost all of Link's body hurt, and where it didn't hurt, he was numb. The strength had left his limbs the moment he hit the ground, so Link couldn't even look up when the creature spoke for the second time.

"Tamdea hylian. Ruda vocat bei zav facien. Whum mari ku, fa larn ragier."

Link felt the beast grab his hair and yank him up. The hylian's head spun from the sudden movement, but he was lucid enough to make out the creature's body to a degree. With its unoccupied hand, it was making a bizarre shape in the air. A roar came from its lupine jaws that sent waves of pain down Link's spine. The world dissolved into a red haze. He couldn't feel anything but pain; couldn't hear anything but that unearthly roar.

And then it stopped. But Link fell unconscious before he could process anything else.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Oh, are you awake?" It was a kind voice, one that drew Link back from the void.

Link groaned. His entire body felt like one big bruise. He didn't feel like waking up just then.

"Just wake him up, old man," another voice added, this one more annoying that the first. "It's not like he's bunged up anymore."

"Dren!" The first voice adopted a scolding tone for that short, quiet shout. "This boy had a brush with Staltoria. By all accounts, he should have twice as much rest as he's already had."

Link's mind came up from its unthinking state. He realized that his eyes were still closed, and something else. _I don't feel any stone,_ he thought. _I'm on something soft. A bed, maybe? If so, it's a lot better than that mat I used as a bed back in Katigura. But then, where am I?_

With more than a little effort, Link was able to open his eyes.

Above him was a ceiling of wooden planks. Tilting his head downward, the hylian could see most of the room. It was square and plainly furnished; besides the bed on which he lay, there was only a simple, round table to his right. He was in a corner of the room, facing away from the wall. A window opposite him had blinds drawn across it, letting in only a small sliver of light that struck the worn wood, fading the dull red even more.

Near the foot of his bed stood two people. One was a short man who looked like he hadn't gotten much exercise in the last few months judging from the size of his gut. He was completely bald, but a huge, red beard hung from his chin which merged with a moustache that obscured his mouth. His robes were the kind color of blue that one could only see in the clearest of skies. Beside him, leaning against the wall, was a kid about half the man's size. He was dressed in tawny clothes, the same color as his hair. It only took Link a moment to recognize him.

"Dren," he croaked. "Where am I?"

"Oh," the man said, mild surprise in his deep voice. "You know each other?"

Link opened his mouth to say yes, but couldn't get the word out. His throat was too dry. So he just settled for nodding slowly.

"Hmm. Dren didn't mention that when he brought you here." The man paused, putting a hand to his hidden chin. "Anyways," he continued, "I think it hardly matters. You're in a Sasuna guild house. Don't worry. You're quite safe here."

Link looked to Dren. The boy just shrugged. "As safe as you're gonna get, at least."

"But now that you're awake," the man cut in, "you must be starving. Three days of sleep can do wonders for your health, but it also empties the stomach quickly. I'll bring something from downstairs." With that, he turned and rushed out a door that Link hadn't noticed earlier.

Dren stayed put. Link, feeling like he'd been very lazy, pushed himself into a sitting position. _Oi,_ he thought as a dull pain ripped through his stomach, _I _am _really hungry. I hope that guy comes back soon._

"That's Tauren," Dren said. Link hadn't expected the thief to speak, so he started at Dren's words. The boy laughed lightly. "That guy… his name's Tauren. I found you and that camel in the plateau pass, so I brought you to him, here in east Hyrule. Hylia Village, to be specific. Just if ya wanted to know."

Link nodded. "Thanks," was all he could croak in reply. He wanted to say more, but nothing else came out.

At that moment, Tauren came back in, carrying a tray of food. He gave it to Link, probably assuming that Link couldn't get up, which was actually quite accurate. Just like the room, the food was simple: half a loaf of bread, scrambled eggs, and a few strips of bacon. Link eagerly took a bite of the bacon. He was amazed; it tasted delicious.

"Well," Tauren said as he turned to Dren, "let's let him have his privacy." Turning back to Link, he added, "You can keep an eye on yourself, I assume. Just yell if you need anything."

Link nodded and looked back at his food. Tauren took that as a signal and walked out, half grabbing Dren and wrestling him through the door. Link watched them leave out of the corner of his eye, then turned his full attention back to the tray on his lap.

Tauren, as Link assumed, had put a cup of water on the tray, too, and the hylian immediately took a big gulp from it. It hurt.

_It must be worse than it originally felt,_ the hylian realized. _Well, at least my injuries could've been worse._ He sighed. _I'll just eat up. I think that with food in my belly, I'll be up to walking, at the very least._

_And I still need to figure out what I'm going to do. And… Staltoria? Who is that?_

Link sighed again and proceeded to consume his bacon, followed closely by the eggs and bread. He'd get his answers after breakfast.

**A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than I usually do, but I couldn't figure out a good way to shorten it. Anyways, here are the translations. Yeah, there are a lot of them in this chapter, but I think that this is as bad as it'll get, so don't worry too much about future installments…**

**Ocodar vran… I'm annoyed.**

**Vashi ku zebe riictu… My sleep has been disturbed.**

**Vocaten bori ra sufraden ku vutabem… You've come into my domain uninvited.**

**Vocat mir be gamam… You will be punished.**

**Tamdea hylian… Foolish hylian.**

**Ruda vocat bei zav facien… Killing you is too easy.**

**Whum mari ku, fa larn ragier… Bear my mark, and live in shame.**


	7. Chapter 7: Sasuna Scuffle

After finishing his food, Link felt he had enough energy to get up. He was slightly woozy, but he got over that feeling fast enough. The hylian's clothes were folded on one of the chairs, and he got dressed slowly, making sure the rough fabric didn't scrape any of his bruises.

Link let his breakfast settle in his stomach before venturing out of the room. The door opened up into a short hallway. To his left, a staircase led down. That being the only exit, the hylian walked down it. Another hall led from the base of the stairs and ended in a door. Link strode towards it, but stopped just before turning the handle. Beyond the sturdy wood, he heard two voices. They sounded like Dren and Tauren… and one was very angry.

"… and how could you lose Tye? Muro, too! It's a wonder you even keep track of your own clothes!" the deeper voice scolded. That had to be Tauren.

"Well, it's not like I had a choice, old man," Dren countered. "Those sandstorms are so disorienting. I couldn't see my own horse's head, let alone the others'. And I'm sure Tye's alright. He can get out of any situation. Muro's got his _magic_, too. So don't worry so much."

"Harrumph. You really have no idea what you've done. Why, stopping in that town was the worst thing you could've possibly done!"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"I'll tell you what could happen, you cocky rogue!" Link reeled back. That wasn't either Dren or Tauren, but another man with a snappy voice. The hylian hadn't even realized that there were other people in the room.

_I should listen more closely,_ he thought. _It could come in handy._

"Gebin," Dren sighed, "who even knows what we're doing? I didn't tell anyone about the flute."

"You don't need to _tell_ someone for them to know about it," the snappy one- Link assumed he was the one named Gebin- barked. "The Five have been looking for the flute since they learned that I'm still alive. They've been trailing you three ever since you went off into the desert."

"Ha!" Dren laughed. "I haven't seen them. And why wou…"

"Shut up, child!" Gebin growled. "The Five are dangerous. And by going into a city, you've put all the inhabitants in danger. You know Sessariuth…" A short pause followed. Gebin continued. "Of course you do. She left you an only child. The only child from Refenza who's still alive. That lady's minions would have followed you… and they will destroy the lives of anyone you meet. I must go to this city- Katigura, was it?- and warn the citizens. Come on, Sami. We must hurry."

Link heard the scraping of moving chairs. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. _Dren put Katigura in danger?_ The hylian just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Then a realization came to him. _Gebin said that Dren was the only child from his village. Does that mean…?_

Link burst through the door. On the other side was a large room, like the common room at an inn. To his left, a fire burned within an open fireplace. Opposite that was a pair of double doors carved with arcane symbols. Paintings adorned the walls, though they were rough and unprofessional. A few round tables were scattered throughout the room, and padded chairs ringed each one. The nearest table, a bit to the right of the door Link came through, was where the voices were coming from. Tauren and Dren sat next to each other on the side nearest the hylian. Opposite them was another hylian boy whose face was more graceful, his chestnut hair more kempt and hidden beneath a cap, and his demeanor colder. He was wearing a brown overcoat and standing up beside the table. And on the chair left of Tauren, standing on a chair and resting his arms on the table, was a white fox with three tails. No one else was in the room.

The four at the table jumped at Link's entrance and turned to look at the newcomer. Tauren's mouth dropped, and he stumbled to stand. Dren ducked sideways and ended up sprawled on the hard floor. The fox yipped and bounced onto the table, and the other boy hid his hand in his jacket. Link could hear the scrape of metal coming out of its sheath, but the boy didn't draw any blade that he could see and kept his hand in his coat.

Link ignored their obvious surprise. "**What is going on here?**" he shouted. His voice seemed to echo in the open room, and everyone reeled back. Anger, whirling in his chest, was all Link could feel right then. "**Why's Katigura in danger?**" The hylian turned his gaze down to the thief, who was crawling backwards, under the table. Without hesitation, he grabbed Dren's tunic and hoisted him up. "**And did you really lie to me, you _gafuun_?**"

Dren shrunk back as much as he could. Link was stunned that he looked so scared; he'd never seen himself as being that intimidating. But the rage was building up inside, and the hylian couldn't keep it down. He couldn't focus on anything except hurting the kid who'd lied to him.

"What… what about?" Dren stuttered.

Link shook the boy. "**About your brother! And the healer! Everything was a ruse to get me to help you! Wasn't it?**"

Dren was trembling so badly that Link almost couldn't make out what he said. "I… I just… just wanted to… escape. I didn't… I didn't know… that you'd…" his voice trailed off.

Link couldn't handle it anymore. He threw the boy to his left as hard as he could. Dren crashed into one of the tables, cracking the redwood. He crumpled to the ground with the wooden splinters raining down on him. Link was upon him in an instant, raising his fist. The thief saw what he was planning to do and rolled to the right just as the hylian struck. Link didn't feel the pain as his knuckles connected with floor and became embedded with wooden slivers. He turned to Dren, who scrambled to his feet.

Link began to advance on the thief again, but Tauren crossed his path and planted his feet firmly on the wood planks of the floor between the boys. "**Enough of this!**" he boomed. "There is no reason for fighting! We can resolve this without bloodshed!"

Link hardly heard the old man's words. A pain, not so much unlike rage, rippled through his muscles. It must've hurt something fierce, but the hylian couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything. It was like a force outside himself had taken control of his body, forced him out, and, through the pain of anger, was controlling him.

He curled his hands like claws and crouched low. Link felt his body stretching, and his face was growing forward, into a snout. His nails and teeth hardened and grew sharp. Spines crept out of his back in two rows on either side of his back. And a thick tail sprouted at the end of his spine that ended in hard scales. The hylian felt hair growing all over his body, and finally, had to fall to on all fours to hold himself up.

_What… just… happened?_ That was the last rational thought that went through Link's mind after his transformation was complete. Then his consciousness submerged to a half awake state.

The surge of motion from a pounce.

The coppery taste of blood.

The scream of a little boy.

The prick of a small blade.

The thrill of sprinting towards a new victim.

A sharp pain along the back.

The crunch of wood under weight.

Teeth sinking into the neck and pain.

Shaking, and rolling, and barking.

The teeth came out.

A loud shout.

A long stream of words.

The world a blur of colors.

The thud as sleep took hold.

_A peaceful dream._

**A/N: An interesting twist, don't you think? Please review this chapter.**

**Gafuun… a rude way of referring to a thief or criminal.**


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